365Project.2014 | Week 47

So. As I sit down to figure out some witty or at least mildly interesting introduction for this post, I can think of nothing. It's simply been another normal week. We prepared something akin to 21 meals (plus snacks), nursed a sweet, adorable newborn, worked through five more days of school, washed many loads of laundry, folded a few less than we washed, kissed boo-boos, read stories, snuggled, swept floors, laughed, cried, washed dishes, squabbled, crocheted, washed more dishes, knitted, played piano, folded more laundry, sang songs, built with K'nex, painted, learned letters, built with Duplos, practiced math facts, changed diapers, read more stories, cleaned up messes, rode bikes, colored, ... etc. 'Tis be life in these parts, and I am thankful for it. Overwhelmingly thankful. For health and strength and laughter and friends and hugs and LIFE.

Day 313. Abby's playing peek-a-boo!!

Day 314. And looking quite cute in her new outfit that Mommy bought with a coupon from JC Penney! :)

Day 315. Matthew loves the frozen berries Mommy adds to her smoothie each morning, and enjoyed having a special "I Love You" smile in his oatmeal. ♥

Day 316. This boy simply amazes me. Honestly. He built this entire crane completely by himself, and except for two very minor tweaks suggested by Chris, the design was entirely his own. It uses two motors--one of them raises the boom and the other winds the "chain" (yarn). It's sturdy enough to lift one of his buddies. It's amazing to watch your children do something you never could do.

Day 317. And Miss Hannah rattled through 90 math facts in two minutes! :D Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Doodle-bug!

Day 318. Many thanks to our friends from church who have loaned us their playmat for the next couple months. Abby is quite impressed. :)

Day 319. The boys were very excited to use their "swords" with Daddy ...

Although it swiftly became apparent that Peter must be limited to using only ONE hand, as he managed to break his sword within the first three minutes of use when using two hands. :)

Hannah provided Abby with some knitting instruction this Saturday ...

And we also enjoyed some great fellowship with friends!

And that be it. :) We're planning to work hard this week so we can play hard with Grandma and Grandpa during Thanksgiving Break. :) Definitely looking forward to spending time with family. ♥

365Project.2014 | Week 46

We're back! :) We were glad that a week that started out rather brisk ended with much more comfortable temperatures. :) A particularly fun end to our week was receiving the pictures from our family photo session a couple weeks ago ... so excited about how they turned out! Christmas gifts, here we come! :)

Day 306. The temperatures, they did drop below 40 degrees ... bring out the parkas! :) With my northern roots, I say that somewhat facetiously ... but not much. ;) We affectionately named this Abby's "penguin suit." :) 

We're blessed to enjoy some beautiful color right out our front door!

Day 307. It was Bible character night at Bible club this week ... meet Methuselah and Miriam. :)

And behind the camera is a (more than) somewhat frazzled Mommy with a dining room and kitchen resembling a hurricane-torn Hobby Lobby ... ;)

Day 308. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful helpers with Abby!

She loves attention and blesses us with lots of coos, smiles, and "conversation" when we provide it. :)

Day 309. Matthew thought Abby would enjoy listening to his firetruck book ... she did. :) (And he did a very good job of "reading" it as well!) :)

Later she fell asleep sucking her fingers while helping Mommy make lunch ... 

Day 310. She loves all of Peter's silly faces and the games he plays with her. :)

And this sky was one of dozens of reminders that God cares about the little things. Due to a schedule change, our friends were not able to bring Hannah home from piano lessons this week (something which is a HUGE blessing most weeks!!!) So I was anticipating trying to keep two active boys and an infant quiet and still in someone else's home (or in the van) on a particularly cold and drizzly day. However, just before Hannah's lesson, the sky started to clear, and the weather was pleasant enough that the boys were able to run and play outside while Abby was (unusually!!) content in her car seat. I was blessed and encouraged. ♥

Day 311. Art class is the icing on the cake of our school week. It's been so neat to see each of the kids growing and developing in this area ... and Mommy's enjoying learning, too!

Day 312. Saturday brought a field trip with our fellow homeschooling buddies at a local Harvest Festival. Attendance was lower than some years which gave the kids lots of opportunities to interact with the volunteers.

They watched some men turn tops ...

And then got to decorate their own as a souvenir. :)

They learned some old-fashioned crafts, like weaving ...

And making corn husk dolls ...

They helped plow the field ...

Played some old-fashioned games in the school yard ...

Attended a session of school where they learned how to write their name and do sums on their slates ...

They helped shell the rice ...

And then winnow it ...

And finally, we watched a duck and sheep herding exhibition. It was a beautiful day, and we were glad to be able to enjoy it with our friends. :) Abby happily snoozed ... in her opinion, a morning in the Moby with Mommy is a morning well-spent. :)

And so went our week. :) Much of life revolves around our Abby-girl right now. :) She's definitely a sweetie with melt-your-heart smiles, but a strong affinity for Mommy and a lack thereof for naps can make for some interesting days. ;) Many thanks to those of you who remember us in prayer. ♥

365Project.2014 | Week 45

Slowly but surely, time marches by, and while we enjoy the beautiful days of fall, winter appears to be right around the corner. Regardless, however, we're thankful for the beautiful weather and good health we enjoyed this week. 

Day 299. If you could have heard her giggles!! She was having the sweetest time playing with Daddy. ♥

From littlest to biggest ... Hannah-bug was glad for cooler weather and good reason to wear matching pajamas with her doll. :)

Day 300. Matthew enjoyed the rope swing ...

While Mommy enjoyed the hammock with Abby. She was fascinated by the leaves in the trees above us. I love how you can see the shadow of them reflected in her eyes. (Thanks for the hammock, Great Grandma and Grandpa!!)

Day 301. Daddy, our arborist, enjoyed snuggles with Abby while he gave Mommy a tour of our property and some trees newly identified. :)

Day 302. Happy three months, Miss Abby! You surely do melt our hearts!! ♥

At three months, she's loves to sit up (with support), she "talking" and cooing, and gives us the biggest smiles! Within the last week or so she has started to show interest in small toys, and she likes sucking her fingers. She *usually* sleeps about 6-7 hour stretches at night, generally prefers to eat every 2 hours during the day, and weighs 13.2 lbs. :) In case you were wondering. And if not, it's okay. I will be four+ years down the road when I get ready to pull her baby album together. ;)

Day 303. I've  not been the best about consistently having her do "Tummy Time," so we've been making a conscious effort to do that more often this week. Thankfully, she's not really fussing with it at all and is getting stronger. :)

After using it for Tummy Time, Hannah and Abby had fun talking to each other through the mirror. ♥

Oooh! Tummy Time on Daddy's tummy ... even better!

Day 304. Investigating her new rattle ...

And while one is just learning to hold a rattle, another spent three hours leaf blowing the entire area around the house and driveway reachable with a 200 ft extension cord!! ♥ So thankful for our hard-working young man!!

Day 305. And then the weather turned! While many folks around us woke up to record-breaking snow Saturday morning, the first day of November, we simply enjoyed blustery cold. The kids appreciated the novelty of it and bundled up to play outside for a bit.

However, the girls retreated inside for an afternoon of The Sound of Music. ♥  Blustery days are good for that. :)

And that be the stuff our days are made of.
Thankful.

♥